I personally don't see the prong collar as a last resort, but rather as a training tool. I don't only use it for walking but obedience which does include heeling, later on moving to regular flat collar and off-leash training. What it does for me, is let the dog know that if the first command is ignored a correction will follow, which results in dog that will obey the command without repetition. And owners of breeds with high prey drive cannot afford a dog with selective hearing.

I do agree with you that there are differen methods, and I have nothing against that. As long as the dog is corrected properly when it is not behaving appropriately, it doesn't matter what is used. But it's much easier to properly correct a larger dog with a prong collar, as larger breeds, dogs with longer coats, bully breeds have higher pain tolerance, and a correction with a martingale collar or a choke collar (if used properly, more often than not, it's not) will not have the same effect.

I don't think there is one right way which is more or less effective, what might work for someone with one dog, might not be appropriate for someone else with another dog. Some dogs enjoy working with people despite the distractions, other dogs are more independent, some have higher prey drives and have harder time focusing on the person when there is a distraction.

I totally respect what you're saying. I absolutley agree that the prong collar is a training tool (when properly used) but I do think many people use this tool if overwhelmed by their dog, especially when attempting to train a large breed dog, or those (as you mentioned) with higher pain tolerance.

I disagree however with the thought that it makes training these breeds 'easier'. I've seen many dogs spin and snap while wearing a prong collar and that gets only more dangerous the larger the breed. Not to mention, I've also seen many owners use the prong to mask their dogs behavioral tendancy to pull while on the leash, which is simply not getting to the root of the problem and can lead to other problems like leash frustration, which can eventually turn to leash aggression.

While I respect people who use them and find that they work for them and their dog, I can't support the choice to use the prong collar on the basis that they have a 'big strong dog' that pulls, especially when no other training methods have been tested with consistancy, dedication, and patience.

It's just my personal opinion that regardless of a dogs tolerance for pain, or distraction levels, or prey drives, or size, or breed, that we can find alternative methods to get the result we want without having to pinch the skin of the dog in order to achieve that 'distraction' or 'innteruption' for training.
Which is why I stand by my statement that the prong should only be used as a last resort, and at the reccomendation of a trainer who can show the owner how to properly use it.

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~B~
"If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail."